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.So they rested less than twenty minutes.At the White, they swamupstream, even though it was harder on the horses.Then, instead ofcoming out on the other side, where their tracks would be looked for, theycame out on the west bank again, and followed it upstream forseveral miles, on foot again, leading their horses to rest them.The hope wasthat their pursuers would overlook the west bank option.At length they reentered the water, crossing this time.Then Macurdy led offeastward through untracked forest.Until, abruptly, a voice froze them. Macurdy! Macurdy! None of them spoke.Their eyes scanned the woods. No no, Macurdy! I m up here! Blue Wing! They looked up in unison to where the great raven sat in a tall, thick-boledwalnut tree. I saw you crossing the river, and wondered why humans would be riding so farfrom any road or trail. Blue Wing paused. Why are you? We re in trouble, Macurdy said, and we think men might be following us.Soldiers with hounds.We re trying to leave a trail they won t find. Blue Wing said nothing to that, and it seemed to Macurdy that the birdcomprehended neither his problem nor his strategy.A raven s solution todanger would be flight, he supposed. I wonder, Macurdy called, if you d dome a favor? Ask and find out. He described the road they d fled on, and the form that any successful pursuitwould take. I will look and see, Blue Wing said, and with a thrust of legsand wings, lifted into the sky.They rode on then, not hurrying, for this was old forest, long unburned, andthough the hills were mild, the ground had gotten pocked and humped, over thecenturies, from the tippedup roots and mouldering trunks of windthrowntrees.Only once did they pause, to shoot and gut a turkey.Three miles farther, they came to a small isolated clearing, more orless level, with a cabin and outbuildings of logs.From a little distance,Page 97 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmltheir roofs looked more or less intact, but saplings were already invading theclearing.There was still abundant grass though, beaten down and grayed by winter sfrosts and rains, and tinged green by the new growth beneath it.Macurdywondered why the place had been abandoned.By then the sun was low.They rode over to the buildings anddismounted, hobbling the horses and leaving them to graze.Insidethe cabin, things had been smashed, and bones were scattered around,the broken skulls human. Troll work! Jeremid breathed the words, sounding spooked.The stock shedhad been similarly vandalized.There too bones lay scattered andbroken, with skulls of a cow, a calf, a horse.By the time they d looked it over, Blue Wing had found them. No one isfollowing you, he said. I flew above the river to the road, andthen westward quite a distance.With the trees still bare, I couldn t possiblyhave missed anyone.I saw not more than two riders together, and no hounds atall. Jeremid looked at Macurdy. What now? he asked. We camp, Macurdy said. There s plenty of wood in the woodshed.We ll take turns standing watch and keeping fires going, in case the troll sstill around here somewhere.We can picket the horses inside them. Without anyone actually suggesting it, they made their beds in thehay shed, where there were no bones, fluffing up the hay in the driest corner.The decaying roof wouldn t hold out serious rain, but it would holdheat somewhat, and protect against a shower.Macurdy selected eight fire sites close outside the cluster of buildings,and they carried a pile of firewood to each.There was a well in front of thecabin, its white oak shoring still intact, and they raised water from it.BlueWing announced he would sleep on its sweep.Then, in front of thehay shed, Macurdy lit the cook fire with the pass of a hand.Jeremid stared big-eyed. Where did you learn to do that? he asked. The shaman at Wolf Springs taught me.He said I had talent, and trained me inthe evenings for a while. Could you have, uh, set fire to Zassfel this morning? Jeremid asked.Macurdy shrugged. I never thought to try. As they roasted the turkey, dusk began to settle.Eating wouldn t be easy forhis damaged mouth, so Macurdy had taken an iron pot from the cabin and wasstewing turkey in it.Rust stew, he thought drily as he raked coals around it. It s hard to believe no one s chasing us, Jeremid said quietly. Couldthe bird be lying? Macurdy shook his head. We re old friends from Wolf Springs. I believe him, Melody said. My father was commander in his time, and acouncilman since.We grew up, my brothers and I, being lectured by him
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